Stronger than Darkness
by FleurHartz
Summary: As their fifth year comes to a close, Ron and Hermione realize that, in the face of war, it's best to be honest about how you feel. You never know when you'll get another chance. *OoTP spoilers*


A/N- This has major spoilers for OoTP, don't read if you don't want to know! I loved the book, but in my opinion, there wasn't enough R/H, so I decided to write a little scene I think could have been going on while Harry was off by himself at the end of the 5th book. Surely I'm not the only one who noticed how much Ron and Hermione were alone together! Hehe, hope everyone likes. The lyrics at the end are from "The Dolphin's Cry" by Live.  
  
Stronger than Darkness  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
"I know this has been a hard year. But all of you have more than met our expectations for you as prefects of Hogwarts, and we thank you for your service to the school. Have a good summer everyone, and stay safe." Professor McGonagall finished her speech to the prefects and sat down among the others Head of Houses at the last prefect meeting.  
  
  
  
Ron and Hermione sat together, both lost in thought. Hermione looked around the room. She saw Draco staring out the window, his gray eyes narrowed and somewhat glassy. She felt her heart tighten with anger as she watched him- he was upset because his father had been found out as a Death Eater. Well, serves him right, she thought furiously. I hope Lucius rots in Azkaban for what he's done to Harry. Hermione saw Pansy Parkinson watching Draco with concern.   
  
  
  
Ron looked around the room as well, and saw Padma Patil watching him disinterestedly. When he met her eyes, she glared at him and looked away. Ron sighed. He thought maybe Padma would lighten up about the whole Yule Ball thing after a year spent together as prefects, but it was a no go. He had been horrible to her, he supposed. But even though it was just a little over a year ago, memories of things like theYule Ball suddenly seemed very distant.  
  
  
  
He glanced over at Hermione just as Professor McGonagall dismissed the meeting. All the prefects gathered their things, anxious to go pack and get home to their families after the discovery that Voldemort really had returned.   
  
  
  
Neither Ron nor Hermione got up right away. It was their last day of their 5th year at Hogwarts. Harry was probably off by himself again, and talking to him about anything proved rather stressful after Sirius' death. They were both content to stay sitting in their seats in a companionable silence for a little while.  
  
  
  
Hermione suddenly got up, not leaving, just crossing to the stained glass window in the Prefect's Room. She sighed heavily.  
  
  
  
"I can't believe he's dead." She said, her voice quiet and somewhat choked.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, I know." Ron said sadly, getting up as well and sitting on the table behind her where she was standing.  
  
  
  
"This year has been horrible. I hate seeing Harry like this." Hermione suddenly sounded as though she was about to cry.  
  
  
  
Ron looked a little taken aback. But he soon found his voice again.  
  
  
  
"I know, Hermione. It's been awful…he's so different now. Sometimes I don't even feel like I know him anymore." Ron said.  
  
  
  
Hermione sat down on the table next to him, leaning her head against his shoulder.  
  
  
  
"I can come to the Burrow this summer, can't I?" She asked.  
  
  
  
Ron smiled.  
  
  
  
"Of course you can."  
  
  
  
"I don't think I can stand to be away from everyone. I feel so disconnected from everything during the summer…like if something was to happen…" Hermione's voice choked up again.  
  
  
  
"Hermione, nothing's going to happen."  
  
  
  
"You don't know that."  
  
  
  
Ron sighed.  
  
  
  
"You're right…after everything this year, I feel like I don't know anything anymore. It feels like no one's safe if Sirius can just die like that." He said softly.  
  
  
  
"It's not fair." Hermione's voice sounded strained with frustration and sadness.  
  
  
  
"I know." Ron said, trying to comfort her but not really knowing how.  
  
  
  
There was a long silence between them.  
  
  
  
"Ron?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
  
  
"I just wanted to say thank you." Hermione sat up, looking at him seriously.  
  
  
  
"For what?"  
  
  
  
"For being such a great friend this year. Even when Harry was acting like he never wanted to see either of us ever again, I always knew you'd be there for me. You're always there for me. I know we fight, but now, with the second war coming, all the things we fought about seem so…unimportant, you know? What is important is that you're one of the best people I know Ron, and the bravest too. I don't care about how good you are at Quidditch, and I don't care about you skiving off homework, none of that stuff really matters. I don't think any of us should waste any time telling the people we care about how we feel about them. Everything can change so fast. You never know how long you have, Ron. So please, just know how much I care about you. I'll always be here for you, Ron, and if the time comes, I'd be proud to fight beside you." Hermione seemed to have been holding all this in for a very long time, and looked as though she felt a little awkward in the silence that followed her speech.  
  
  
  
She looked down, wiping an errant tear off her cheek.  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry, Ron, I know you hate it when I ramble." She said, laughing nervously.  
  
  
  
Ron looked at her, his expression indiscernible. He suddenly had flashes of the year that had passed by them…Hermione kissing his cheek before the Quidditch game…her wearing the perfume he had given her for Christmas everyday…the hours they had spent laughing and talking together when Harry was in his moods…the strange pangs of jealousy he felt every time he saw her writing letters to Krum…the way his heart had nearly broken seeing her hurt at the Department of Mysteries…it all seemed to be pointing to an inevitable conclusion.   
  
  
  
"Hermione, you're right. It's stupid to waste time not being honest." Ron said, sounding uncharacteristically serious.  
  
  
  
Hermione met his eyes, almost as though as she was waiting for something.  
  
  
  
Ron seemed to have somewhat lost his nerve when she looked up at him. He looked away, examining his hands. Hermione sighed somewhat impatiently.  
  
  
  
"Ron, what were you going to say?"  
  
  
  
"I-I don't know." Ron played with a thread on his sleeve nervously.  
  
  
  
Hermione put her hand up to his face, making him look at her. She had suddenly moved a lot closer to him. Ron felt his breath catch in his throat and his face grow somewhat hotter.  
  
  
  
"Are you sure about that?" Hermione said, in a voice that Ron had never heard her use before.   
  
  
  
She was so close to him now. Ron felt panicked, as if he had absolutely no other choice than the obvious. Harry's already kissed someone; it can't be that bad, a little voice in his head said. Besides, he couldn't deny ever wondering what it would be like to kiss Hermione. He leaned forward slightly, he didn't have that far to go until their lips tentatively met.  
  
  
  
Ron slowly, shakily brought a hand to her face as Hermione's other hand slid up his arm. Ron hoped he wasn't doing this completely wrong. But suddenly, as the kiss deepened, all thoughts seemed to fly out of his head. A happy, pleasant numbness spread over him as every single worry that had been plaguing him seemed suddenly not to matter very much.   
  
  
  
After what seemed like just a few precious seconds, but had in reality had been much longer, Hermione reluctantly pulled away. She was smiling though, looking at Ron as though seeing him for the first time.  
  
  
  
"We really should go pack." She said, her voice a little shaky.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, we should." Ron agreed, wanting desperately to kiss her again.  
  
  
  
Hermione got to her feet, taking Ron's hand. They stood there facing each other for a moment, unsure how to act around each other now. Hermione grinned when she saw how red Ron's ears were. She had always thought that was cute.  
  
  
  
She couldn't help but notice that Ron looked somewhat terrified though, and she wondered suddenly if she'd made the wrong move. She'd been too aggressive, for heaven's sake, she'd practically attacked him! No, a small voice spoke in the back of her mind, he kissed YOU.   
  
  
  
Hermione had to know how he felt about this. She wasn't going home from the summer and obsessing over it just because she'd been too embarrassed to broach the subject.  
  
  
  
"Look, Ron, this doesn't mean anything has to change between us." She said in one long breath, breaking the silence.  
  
  
  
Ron looked surprised.  
  
  
  
"It doesn't?"  
  
  
  
Hermione blinked.  
  
  
  
"Well, I mean, it doesn't have to if you don't want it to." She assured him.  
  
  
  
Now Ron looked even more confused.  
  
  
  
"Do you want it to change things?" She asked a little nervously.  
  
  
  
Ron swallowed hard, looking up and stepping closer to her. She had never noticed before how striking his dark blue eyes were. But then she supposed, they had never really been this close before.  
  
  
  
"Yes." He said softly and in a slightly throaty voice that made Hermione's knees a little shaky. She wished she was still sitting down.  
  
  
  
"Me too." She said, smiling.  
  
  
  
Ron leaned down to kiss her again; she was also suddenly struck with how tall he was.  
  
  
  
This kiss was shorter than their first, but much less fumbling. Ron was surprised to find how natural this felt. Ron and Hermione. It just made sense. It wasn't awkward, it wasn't nerve-wracking…it was just right. Ron couldn't help wondering why they hadn't done this much sooner. It was brilliant. He didn't know what about kissing could possibly have unnerved Harry so much…this was absolutely bloody wonderful.   
  
  
  
Hermione was smiling again when the kiss ended. Ron thought with a laugh that at least he didn't make his girlfriend cry when he kissed her. Suddenly, it was like his brain screeched to a halt. Could he call Hermione that? Not yet, maybe. He didn't know what all the rules on this were! He'd talk to Ginny or something, he'd get this all sorted out before Hermione came to the Burrow.  
  
  
  
"Now we really have to go pack." Hermione laughed, checking her watch.  
  
  
  
"Hermione?"  
  
  
  
"What?"  
  
  
  
"This is definitely the best thing that's happened to me this year." Ron smiled somewhat sadly.  
  
  
  
"Better than winning the Quidditch Cup?" She raised an eyebrow.  
  
  
  
"Well…" Ron trailed off teasingly.  
  
  
  
Hermione glared, but Ron could tell she didn't mean it. She picked up her bags, and they walked out of the Prefect Room together.  
  
  
  
The war was coming; neither of them was going to lie to themselves about that. But whatever happened, their feelings were out in the open. And whatever came, no matter how far the hand of darkness could reach, they were in this together. The one thing that Voldemort feared was love-and the emotion that was his greatest foil was the thing that bound them to each other.   
  
~*~  
  
~See the road rise up to meet us  
  
It's in the air we breathe tonight  
  
Love will lead us, she will lead us  
  
If you only run for cover, it's just a waste of time  
  
We are lost 'til we are found  
  
This phoenix rises up from the ground  
  
And all these wars are over~  
  
A/N- Please leave a review! I hope everyone enjoyed this! 


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